On September 27, 1980, Barcelona received Valencia on the fourth day of the League. Kubala had left the national team after nine years to take the bench (he committed just before the Euro Cup and brought two of his internationals to Barça, Alexanco and Quini, but that did not raise the dust of the Lopetegui-Real Madrid case, incidentally). Barça had not won more than one League in the last 20. Kubala and the new signings were trusted to achieve it.
Kubala’s Barأ§a started well, with two victories, but had just lost in El Molinأ³n and did not fail to provoke ironic comments that they lost to the team from which they had just snatched Quini. Valencia, with Kempes and Morena up front, was among the contenders. He was trained by Pasieguito, also a great former player of the club. And he also came from a very painful defeat, against Hercules in Mestalla.
Kubala decided not to summon either Olmo or Martínez, which seemed to blame them for the fall in Gijón, which provoked debates. On the other hand, a rumor spread that Migueli was thinking about a big contract with the Cosmos. As for Valencia, Kempes was going to be missing, a real problem, and Pasieguito let it slip that Sempere could make his debut in goal, replacing Pereira, who was poor against Hercules. Sempere, who would later give great performance, was an agile and serious goalkeeper, but with a height (1.76m) that was too short for what was usual for the position.
Kempes and Morena aside, the pearl of Valencia was the midfielder Solsona, a player who was both beautiful and effective. Raised at Espanyol, where he was the first player to make the complete journey from the children’s team (created the year he arrived) to the senior team. He was a figure from a very young age, admired in all fields. Nأ؛أ±ez wanted to sign him when he became president of Barأ§a. For Meler, president of Espanyol, it was very difficult to sell the symbol player. Gaspart, who was in charge of the negotiation, insisted many times, the financial offer became very high, but everything went sour when, in view of the difficulties, Nez proposed that he play for a year on loan at Barcelona. §a, test it, and then decide how much really worth it. That is an offense to all of Espanyol, including Solsona. Once the operation was broken, an offer came from Valencia, which he joined already in 78-79. He was at his peak, already international, at 26 years old and after eight starts at Espanyol.
The Camp Nou was packed for the game, on a pleasant night. The public came optimistically, willing to overcome the controversies and forget the defeat in Gijón. In the run-up Migueli and Zuvirأa received the El Mundo Deportivo award as the best Barcelona players of the previous season, and Quini the Phillips Golden Boot as the top national scorer, which he had been at Sporting. All very applauded.
Barcelona started loose and happy, attacking the goal of little Sempere, who responded very well. In the 24th minute, the play that would change the game occurred: corner against Barça, goalkeeper Amador cleared and Solsona picked up the ball at the top of the area and threw a soft Vaseline that rained down on the opposing squad. A great goal that silenced the stadium. After the corresponding hugs, when he returned to his position, Solsona made a significant gesture, pointing to Nأ؛أ±ez’s box, as if to say ‘this goal is for you’.
The game completely broke down for Barcelona in the 30th minute, when a Saura center escaped Amador and Morena, very lively, took the opportunity to make it 0-2. Kubala’s team tried to react after the break, but in the 64th minute they finally fell apart when Solsona, once again, beat Amador again with a free hit that touched the barrier. The rest is a dance. Valencia is dedicated to showing off, in front of a disconcerted Barcelona and with its own public cheering Valencia’s precious game, all woven around Solsona, who received the best applause.
El Mundo Deportivo headline: آ،آ،آ،MAZAZO!!! 0-3 El Barأ§a, a caricature for Valencia. Pasieguito confesses: “I have suffered for Kubala, he is my friend.” He, for his part, will say: “It was the worst day in my career as a coach.” It won’t last long: it will fall on the ninth day. That match marked his decline.
Solsona remembers that night fondly: “I usually had good games against Barça, but that time I was in a state of grace. With the first goal I got that gesture, I don’t know why. It was something like a light toast to Nأ؛أ±ez. Today, with so many cameras, it would have caused quite a stir.â€
